No comments about High-Involvement Innovation: Building and Sustaining Competitive Advantage Through Continuous Change.

1 comments about Making Buying Decisions: Using the Computer As a Tool.

1. Book came in great shape. I am on chapter 8 and am having a very dificult time with problem 3. It's hard for me to follow even with the direction in the book.
   
   RK

No comments about An Introduction to Bayesian Inference in Econometrics (Wiley Classics Library).

No comments about A Theory of Interregional Dynamics: Models of Capital, Knowledge and Economic Structures (Lecture Notes in Economics and Mathematical Systems).

No comments about Practical Data Analysis Volume II.

3 comments about JMP Start Statistics (Jmp Start Statistics).

1. If you use JMP and need something to fill in the statistical details omitted in the user manuals, then this is the book for you.

   I have used JMP for a while, and with a basic knowledge of statistics it is a useful tool. It got to the stage where I knew that JMP was capable of doing alot more analysis than my limited knowledge of statistics would let me understand. I could get the software to carry out all manner of analyses, I just didn't always understand what the output was telling me. The book "JMP Start Statistics" starts right at the beginning and takes you all the way through to things such as multiple regression, design of experiments and statistical quality control, all the while explaining the statistics in a clear and concise manner. This book will definitely help you get more out of JMP than just the manuals, which tend to assume you already have a statistics background, would.




2. I bought this book in order to learn how to use the software. As a health care provider & scientist, i have some statistical background. I found the book less than helpful. The JMP software itself is already less than intuitive. The book now sits on a shelf and would qualify as - used - almost new - hardly used - category.



3. I am definitely part of the target audience for JMP - a scientist who uses statistics frequently in my everyday work but not a statistician who lives in the numbers. I need powerful tools that are quick and easy to use and provide reliable answers to statistical questions. But, as powerful as JMP is, it is far from intuitive. The system for data input is a leftover from the thinking of card punch days. The software manual is abysmal and the menus are a complete confusion, especially if you use (and think) Excel.
   
   This book comes to the rescue. The first author of this book, John Sall is a co-founder of SAS Institute and the creator of JMP - he knows the program. It was his idea to provide such a program for scientists who did not need SAS's complete arsenal of statistical tools. Most laudable.
   
   The book starts by explaining the system behind the analysis tools in JMP. It then explains the data entry system. I had already figured this out on my own before I got the book but it took an entire afternoon. The book would have reduced the process to 30 minutes - that alone is worth the price. One section is even called "The Personality of JMP." The program definitely has a personality and this book explains even that quickly and well.
   
   From here the book launches into the various tools in JMP, from categorical models, to regression analysis to linear fitting. There are sections on experimental design and statistical quality control. While there is a worthy section called "What are Statistics" and there is considerable discussion of the limits of statistical knowledge, I would not recommend that you buy this book as a statistics text. JMP and this book assume that you are already well grounded in statistics.
   
   The style is technical but light and accessible to advanced undergraduates. The illustrations of the menus, options and graphs within JMP are faithful to the program. The explanations are clear and illuminating. My edition came with a disk full of data examples that follow the text. If you find yourself confronted with JMP and have not got a clue how to start - order this book and have it shipped express.

No comments about Market Expectations and Option Prices: Techniques and Applications (Contributions to Economics).

No comments about Point Process Theory and Applications: Marked Point and Piecewise Deterministic Processes (Probability and its Applications).

No comments about Business Statistics.

2 comments about The Mathematics of Investing: A Complete Reference.

1. This book has many errors, misconceptions, and shows a lack of understanding of the time value of money principles. Thomsett uses the erroneous sinking fund formula for annuity due problems. He thinks the internal rate of return (IRR)is a method that is inexact and requires many assumptions when in fact it is a staple of the financial community that is precise, there are no assumptions, and it is a valuable tool. He simply does not understand the internal rate of return method.

   His method of calculating the rate of return of mutual funds is a erroneous cook book method, and his example of how to calculating the rate of return of a mutual fund is a factor of 10 in error.

   Anyone reading this book will not learn the subject, and should be totally confused by the erroneous approach and examples provided by the book. It is amazing that any publisher would publish this book.




2. Mathematics of Investing is a reference guide intended to assist people in understanding how various financial calculations are made. The guide has chapters on such topics as time value of money, taxes and inflation, options trading, mutual funds, and others.

   Graphs, tables, and other illustrations accompany a good number of the pages in this guide. This is helpful, I think, because it makes some of the terminology easier to understand and it makes the book a little more interesting than it would otherwise be. A book like this isn't something you would want to curl up on the couch and read for enjoyment. This is a reference guide, and anything that can help it be less boring is a plus.

   Cross- references in the front of this book make it easy to look up formulas. Along with a listing of the chapters of the book, there is another table of contents that lists the pages to find a specific formula. Most people who buy this book will use it as a reference for looking up formulas, so this cross- reference in the front is helpful.

   One thing that will probably make many people hesitate to purchase this book is the high price tag. The book is only 256 pages in length, so I am not sure why the cost is so much. With a price this high, many potential buyers might want to forgo buying it new and seek out a used copy instead. You can save yourself a lot of money by purchasing this book used.

   Computing rates of return, investment growth, the effects of taxes and inflation, and other financial measurements takes some time and effort. With this book, a novice can gain a better understanding of how different financial computations are made. It's not a perfect book, and I did find a few typos as I thumbed through the pages. But it does provide a decent starting point to understanding investment computations.